diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 1f411a0..36ce4c1 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -184,6 +184,9 @@ VITE_RADAR_FALLBACK_LAYER=radar
 VITE_RADAR_FALLBACK_MAX_ZOOM=6
 # Trail history radius shown on the map (km)
 VITE_OBSERVATION_RANGE_KM=50
+# Hours since a mesh node's last advert before it is shown as STALE / OFFLINE on the map.
+# MeshCore nodes advert only every 24–48 h, so keep this above one advert cycle.
+VITE_MESH_NODE_STALE_HOURS=72
 # Keep false for normal operation. True enables cleaner map snapshots but costs render performance.
 VITE_PRESERVE_DRAWING_BUFFER=false
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/config.ts b/frontend/src/config.ts
index 02d2617..b874ff3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/config.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/config.ts
@@ -55,3 +55,11 @@ export const RADAR_FALLBACK_LAYER = import.meta.env.VITE_RADAR_FALLBACK_LAYER ||
 // Observation range ring — radius in km centered on DEFAULT_CENTER.
 // Set VITE_OBSERVATION_RANGE_KM=0 to hide the ring.
 export const OBSERVATION_RANGE_KM = Number(import.meta.env.VITE_OBSERVATION_RANGE_KM ?? 50)
+
+// Mesh node staleness window. A mesh node's last_seen is its last advert
+// timestamp, and MeshCore nodes typically advert only once every 24–48 h, so a
+// short window marks healthy-but-quiet nodes (including active repeaters) as
+// stale. Default 72 h flags a node only after it has missed roughly two advert
+// cycles. Override with VITE_MESH_NODE_STALE_HOURS.
+export const MESH_NODE_STALE_MS =
+  Number(import.meta.env.VITE_MESH_NODE_STALE_HOURS ?? 72) * 60 * 60 * 1000
diff --git a/frontend/src/layers/buildMeshNodeLayer.ts b/frontend/src/layers/buildMeshNodeLayer.ts
index 6ebd971..bd3f042 100644
--- a/frontend/src/layers/buildMeshNodeLayer.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/layers/buildMeshNodeLayer.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { IconLayer } from '@deck.gl/layers'
 import type { Entity } from '../store'
 import { getAtlasIcons } from './atlasIcons'
+import { MESH_NODE_STALE_MS } from '../config'
 
 export interface MeshNodePoint {
   entity_id: string
@@ -11,8 +12,6 @@ export interface MeshNodePoint {
   status: string
 }
 
-const STALE_MS = 10 * 60 * 1000
-
 // Atlas hue: --cat-mesh #FF8F00
 const MESH_ACTIVE: [number, number, number, number] = [255, 143,   0, 240]
 const MESH_STALE:  [number, number, number, number] = [136, 136, 136, 200]
@@ -20,7 +19,7 @@ const MESH_STALE:  [number, number, number, number] = [136, 136, 136, 200]
 function toMeshNodePoint(e: Entity, nowMs: number): MeshNodePoint | null {
   if (e.entity_type !== 'mesh_node' || e.lat == null || e.lon == null) return null
   const lastMs = e.last_seen ? Date.parse(e.last_seen) : 0
-  const stale  = !lastMs || (nowMs - lastMs > STALE_MS)
+  const stale  = !lastMs || (nowMs - lastMs > MESH_NODE_STALE_MS)
   return {
     entity_id: e.entity_id,
     name:   e.display_name ?? e.entity_id,